Max George on 'Glee' ending, living the L.A. life and the latest on The Wanted

March 23, 2015

It’s been done before, and it will continue to be done, but
Max George is the latest musician chasing his dream of acting. The Wanted
singer has so far had a successful transition, having just finished a six-episode
stint on
Glee’s final season as Vocal Adrenaline’s pushy-yet-motivated Clint.

As the singer continues pursuing his dream, he is now living in Los Angeles
and seeing what else is out there, but don’t worry Wanted fans — they are not
done making sweet music any time soon.
HELLO!’s Entertainment Director
Alisandra Puliti caught up with the 26-year-old about his transition to reading
scripts, living like an Angeleno and discovering which actress he wants to
lock lips with on-screen.

Photo: Mike Danenberg

HELLO!: Loved you on Glee, it was such a great fit for
you. Was it your first foray into acting?
Max George: Yeah, I got to play a villain which was
actually quite a bit of fun. I got to sing as well, so it kind of worked. Before
I was in the band, this is always something I wanted to do. This was my first
real gig.

H: The people on Glee are so talented, did you have fun
with the cast?
MG: The cast has been awesome. Matt Morrison is such a
pro and is an awesome guy. Jane Lynch, I spent a lot of time with her. She is
amazing. Lea [Michele] has an amazing voice. She is extremely talented. All of
them are, but she is incredible.

H: How did you not crack up doing those scenes with Jane?
MG: You kind of get used to it. After the first day, at
the start, we would just watch her in awe because she is so good then you just
sort of get used to it.

Max worked closely with Jane during his time on Glee Photo: Courtesy of Max George

H: Is doing a rehearsal for Glee harder than prepping for
a tour with the Wanted?
MG: This was so much harder. I genuinely didn’t know I
had to dance, and I never did that before. In The Wanted, it’s not a dancing
band. When I arrived the first day, I got pushed right into rehearsal and it
was ridiculous. I couldn’t walk when I got home. Rehearsal days were like 8 to 12 hours and the
taping days were sort of 15 to 16 hours sometimes. I was dead after.

H: Do you wish Glee was sticking around another season?
MG: I knew when I signed on for it that it was the last
season. I’m not too disappointed. Just moving on to the next thing now.

H: What is that? Looking for more acting roles?
MG: Yeah, it’s pilot season so there are a lot of pilots
going on which I’m auditioning for. I’m with CAA and they’ve been brilliant
with me so hopefully soon, hopefully in the next few weeks I will be on set
again.

H: What can fans expect in terms of The Wanted?
MG: We are just taking a break. Nathan is very much concentrating on his music career as a solo artist. The rest of us are sort of taking a different approach to it, but we will still want to do shows. We are going to South America in a couple of months, we did a little tour in Mexico over Christmas. We took some time off to do different projects but still do sort of one-off tours with the band. I’m doing acting at the moment.

Don't worry, the group is just taking a break to pursue other career dreams Photo: Getty Images

H: Have you heard Nathan’s new song, "More than You'll Ever Know"?
MG: I like it. He is very grown up. I sent him a message that he seems 10 years older and very mature. I wish him all the luck in the world.

H: You all have come such a long way since The Wanted Life! It was such a fun show, would you ever consider doing reality television again?
MG: It’s a possibility, but definitely more acting at the moment. I have some meetings with some television production companies about more scripted shows that sort of involve me playing the role of myself where it may be someone who was in a band.

H: Who has done the transition from music to acting right in your eyes?
MG:I'd have to say Mark Wahlberg. I think he's a fantastic actor and has gone on to show this in many different genres of film. For me, he would have to be my biggest career role model.

H: If you could pick any actor to be in a movie with, would you want it to be?
MG: At the moment, Tom Hardy. I met him a couple of times, but only very briefly. Once was at Elton John’s house a few years ago for a huge charity dinner. I just think [Tom] has done so well in every role he plays, whether it’s a love interest or playing a Batman villain. He plays it brilliantly.

Photo: Getty Images

H: And then who can forget the many perks of being an actor. Who would be your ideal actress to kiss on-screen?
MG: Probably Angelina Jolie because she is just a bad ass. I think that would be an alright choice. I’ll go with her.

H: Lastly, how is L.A. treating you? Are you liking it?
MG: I would say yes. I like it a lot. I’m a huge beach
fan so I try to go to the beach in the mornings before I do anything during the
day. That always wakes me up and makes me feel good about things. I’m from
Manchester in England where it’s really cold and you don’t get beaches in
Manchester so for me, I love it. I love going in the sea. I’m trying to master
the art of surfing, but it’s not as easy as it looks. A friend of mine that I
met at
Glee, he is a like a pro. He’s been trying to teach me, but I’m not the
most graceful in the water.